Court's in session - 2005 Pontiac GTO Judge

Prepare to be sentenced by the new Judge in town

Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines

Part of the sport of racing, at least among competitors, is the mindset going into an event. If you can somehow subconsciously instill in another competitor's mind that you can beat them, chances are they will be concentrating so hard at not making a mistake that they will actually miss their marks, as they say, effectively opening the door for you to slide past for the win and make it look clean to boot. A flashy car with instant fan appeal and a mean stance can't hurt either.
Take, for instance, Doug Miller's 2005 GTO. It's far from your average-Joe version; another fine GM car destined to fall into the model abyss with the likes of Tempest and Bonneville. No, this GTO will bury anything in its way under the quarter-mile pavement, and that's before the engine has even fired. The orange paint glistens in the sun as it emerges from the trailer. On its sides appears a classic pinstripe design, with Ram Air IV sitting on the outside edge of the faux air scoops on the hood. There is no mistaking the robe-clad maniac with yellowed, clenched teeth, and a gavel: The Judge is back, and it's judgment day at the track.
Doug is a third-generation Miller, born in the mid-1960s into an automotive-minded family. Grandfather George owned a garage while father Larry focused on diesel service. It was only natural that Doug ventured down one of the two paths, eventually gravitating toward autos. He learned to drive at the age of nine on the family farm, and built his first engine when he was 12. Pontiacs, especially GTOs, have always been a favorite at the Miller's place; Doug has assisted his father with several GTO restorations.
Miller was nearing high school graduation while working on a body-off restoration of his own 1969 GTO when his school counselors encouraged him to pursue a career in Computer Science. Living in Salisbury, North Carolina, Miller opted to attend nearby North Carolina State in Raleigh, still finding time to work on the GTO during weekends and starting a mail-order GTO and Firebird parts business.
While a sophomore during the spring of 1984, his best friend talked him into attending an IHRA drag race in Rockingham. It had a profound effect almost instantly, sending him into another GTO project: The building of a fiberglass-bodied '69 GTO Top Sportsman car. But a bachelor's degree in Computer Science in 1988 led Miller into a new career. Eventually the parts business closed its doors, the drag car was sold, and the restored '69 Ram Air IV was sold in 1994 thanks to an unrefusable offer.
For more than 10 years, Miller focused on his career, until the spring of 2004 when once again a friend accompanied him to an NHRA event in Columbus, Ohio. According to Miller, "I had this renewed enthusiasm for what it felt like to hear and see these cars accelerate down the quarter-mile at 200-300 mph. I had honestly forgotten what it felt like, and in the month of my 40th birthday, I had this uncontrollable urge to somehow reconnect with my automotive performance roots."
Ironically, it was also the same year that Pontiac reintroduced the GTO badge, and a spark was ignited. "I quickly had a vision of a Judge-themed Pro Modified drag car based on the 2004 GTO body style. In the fall of 2005, I found myself talking to Jerry Bickel Race Cars in Moscow Mills, Missouri. Jerry was just getting started on the new GTO chassis and a carbon fiber body based on the new GTO. I quickly put down a deposit and was on the waiting list," Miller said.
A chassis and body was not the only thing that Miller required. "I wanted a Judge character on the side of the car, and I found myself talking to Roderick Burke who specializes in artistic renderings. Rod took my idea and turned it into a rendering that exceeded my expectations. I then enrolled in Roy Hill's Drag Racing School while the car was being built. While attending the session held at Darlington Dragway, I earned my NHRA Super Comp and IHRA Top E.T. licenses. That's when I realized what I had missed out on all those years when I never finished my original drag GTO."
Miller's enthusiasm radiates as he conveys the finer points of his new GTO. "I had decided to have it fully equipped as a Pro Modified, but started out with a Top Sportsman drivetrain to get my feet wet first. The engine is a 632 Big Chief nitrous setup, and the transmission is a Coan Big Dog Powerglide. With both stages of nitrous, the car can run in the high six-second range in the quarter-mile at more than 200 mph."
The car was completed before the 2006 season and Rick Varner voluntarily drove the car competitively while training Miller on the tricks of the trade in bracket, Top Sportsman, and heads-up drag racing. At the IHRA World Finals at Rockingham in October, not only did the Judge win Best Appearing Car, but Rick also piloted the Judge to a career-best 6.81 seconds at 196 mph. Imagine what 2007 will bring.

This article originally appeared in the January, 2007 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.